Hebrew Word Study – Aged Memory – Gimel גמל Gimmel Mem Lamed
Psalms 103:2: “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his
Fall on your knees – English
Caer de rodillas – Spanish
Spadnie na kolana – Polish
Dao zai ni de xigai (I think) Chinese
Cadere in ginocchio – Italian
Taqae ealaa rukbatayk – Arabic
Cadent hostem supplex – Latin
We are approaching the Christmas season and today and I started to think about the next few weeks when the Christmas decorations go up and I will start trucking people to the North Riverside Mall to do some Christmas shopping. in my disability bus, my first run was jammed packed as I was taking shoppers to the North Riverside Mall for some sort of shopping spree. I thought about a prior pilgrimage during the Christmas season when I carried a colorful array of passengers. The first woman on my bus was Emily. She is Chinese but we call her Emily because we cannot pronounce her real name. It sounds like Emily so we get away with it. The next person I picked up was Betty whose parents came from Poland and she claims she will speak Polish sometimes only as a way to memorialize her parents who are now gone. Then there was good old Rosa who speaks excellent English but I rarely hear it. She is proud of her heritage and speaks Spanish as much as she can get away with. Of course, we can’t forget Ralph who is in wheelchair and was born in Italy. He claims he speaks good English but the only words I recognize are S—of—B—ch S—t. I think it is a universal language. To be sure I must not forget Ricardo who claims to be Muslim but says he loves Jesus. If there is such a thing as a Catholic Muslim that is Ricardo. He speaks fluent Arabic.
Would you like Chaim Bentorah as your personal Hebrew teacher?
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So I am traveling down Cermak Avenue with my happy shoppers all tightly knitted together in close fellowship and I have the radio tuned into 93.9 FM which you Chicagoans will recognize as the 24 hours Christmas music radio station. On comes Feliz Navidad and of course, Rosa has to start singing along in her totally off-key voice. Before long the others join in, probably to drown her out. So, we have this happy band of travelers singing along with Christmas joy. After that song ended the next song was Celine Dion’s version of O Holy Night. You know that song, that is the one with the spine-tingling Fall on your knees where, when you get to that part you really come on with it. I remember attending a function one year where everyone was singing Christmas Carols and when they got to O Holy Night it seems the only words they knew were Fall on your knees. They had to go to their smartphones to look it up. I found some even mistakenly took the title of the song to be Fall on your knees. But when they found it on their smartphones they started to sing it with true gusto. It was a little weak at first but when they hit Fall on your knees I mean the rafters shook as the old Pentecostals used to say. Another time I attended a Spanish church where, for the most part, the service was in English. They also sang Fall on Your Knees uh, I mean, O Holy Night. When they got to the Fall on your knees part, they proved to be true Pentecostals. Although, I noticed many of them were saying Caer de rodillas. I guess sometimes you can express your heart better when you sing in your own native language.
Well, when O Holy Night came on over the radio in my disability bus, old Rosa started to sing along only she was singing in Spanish. Not to be outdone Emily started to sing the song in Chinese, Betty was singing it in her sentimental Polish and even Ralph started to sing it in Italian, at least I hope that was what he was singing. Suddenly Ricardo joined in with his Arabic and when they reached Fall on your knees Celine Dion was the only one singing in English. Everyone else sang Fall on your knees in their own language. I chose Latin as I was the only non-Catholic on the bus (Ricardo claiming to be half Catholic which is as likely as half a pregnancy). I just felt sorry that Latin as a ceremonial language was so quickly abandoned by these fine Catholics.
I guarantee no one has ever heard Fall on your knees sung like it was sung on my bus. It was absolute chaos and yet so beautiful. Everyone was filled with real Christmas joy or maybe it was the joy of the Lord. You see, today was a downer for me and as I trudged off to my disability bus I prayed and ask God if He could do something to evoke some joy in me. Well, He did and it seems I was taking a trip down memory lane as I discovered my assignment was to take a group of people to the Mall. Everyone was just excited. It was a beautiful fall day filled with anticipation. As we journeyed to the mall the memory of the Holiday trip came flooding back and when we arrived at North Riverside Mall and I was filled with the joy of the Lord.
I do need to tell you about a Jewish couple on my bus that I thought about during this time. Last Christmas season they rode my bus. They are brother and sister and when they got off the bus they handed me a Christmas present, a box filled with all sorts of chocolate, and diabetic decadences and they gave me a chag molad samea’h (Merry Christmas in Hebrew). Usually, I just get a chag samea’h from my Jewish friends (happy holiday).
I had a few minutes of downtime when I dropped my party off at the mall so I parked in the parking lot, went to the back of my bus, and fell on my knees. As I said, the day started off as a real downer, I have been recovering from a virus and was really out of sorts. I realized that God does not just bring a happy moment into our lives and then it is over. A whole year can pass and He will bring it to memory again to experience the same pleasure. Even if the experience was out of season. I mean it is Halloween, not Christmas. Yet, during that low time, God brought an old memory back and I felt that same joy all over again.
David was having a real downer of a day and he took charge of his soul in Psalms 103:2 and commanded it to not forget God’s benefits. When I think of benefits I think of little extras, an abundance in something. It is that but the word in Hebrew is much more revealing. The word in Hebrew comes from the root word gimel which means to mature, to age. Like cheese, it gets better when it is aged. I believe David was speaking of memories that God gives us and then when he has a need we command our soul to remember God’s little extras and we savor that memory as it is sweeter the older it gets.
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Thanks & Blessings, it means a lot to me!
I wish there was a button where we could LIKE others’ comments since they are also a blessing to read!
I do too. Maybe we’ll get more financial support and would be able to make some upgrades. Until then, you can always reply to others’ comments…that would actually be really nice.
Your posts are always eye opening, entertaining and spot on. Merry Christmas!!!
Love you Brother Chaim… Keep Rockin’ :)
U brought this Christmas so close to my heart despites many challenges come my way. The diverse culture and languages of your passengers really amazed me. How the Lord has confused the languages during the construction of the Tower of Babel, yet he united them again under the love of the body of Christ. Merryyy Christmasss and wishing u more blessings to come
What an excellent observation!! Merry Christmas to y’all!! (That’s in a Southern dialect and I’m originally from California!)
My Dear Brother, Thank you for sharing your testimony of “the day on the bus”. Amazing how God causes Smiles to be contagious. Sing a joyful noice unto The Lord. And remember how Jesus said, “When I be Lifted Up, I will draw all men (peoples) unto myself ” To God be the Glory.
When walking out into the water flowing from the temple, upon reaching the point of ‘water that is knee deep’ and then as one ‘falls on their knees’ the water flowing from the temple Instantly becomes so deep One Can Swim In It.
Swimming in the Presence of God. Much Love and Overflowing Blessings.
I am enjoying your stories, but am not clear on the meaning of gimmel…and how your story connects…
I thought gimmel is benefits, blessings, the riches of heaven stored up for you…
Confused.
Thank you.
You are such a special man. I appreciate your authenticity. Your story telling makes me feel like I was on the bus sitting behind you, giving you glances of acknowledgment. While reading your story I was enjoying the ride with you. I Love to hear how you turn to the Lord when times are tough. You inspire me. Thank you for being real.
Your testimony touched me deeply. Your descriptions and characterizations provided precious 3-D events in my mind. As always, I esteem you very highly in love for your work’s sake.
Thank you so much. I’m sorry, that’s all I can say right now. My soul is rejoicing. Thank you
This is touching and so real to me, as I remember God’s blessings to me over time. On very low days I recall HIS goodness and then I weep. HE is good!
Oh my! This is so impactful for me. Last winter I was asked to teach one of the Bible Study lessons.As I began to ponder and pray about it, Hope became the theme. But it wasn’t just about Hope but about how to increase Hope. He showed me how David, Moses, and even Jesus increased their Hope by REMEMBERING AND REHEARSING what they experienced about the faithfulness of God. The remembering became about the word and also the personal relationship experiences for each of us. The Rehearsing was about speaking it so that it becomes a declaration of Hope that will grow in each person and situation. So your word today fits right in with the ongoing learning and reminder for me to keep increasing Hope for myself and others. Keep increasing in Hope.
Thank you so much for this. I needed this reminder to thank Him more often for my precious memories. Your word studies have been a blessing to me. I’ve enjoyed your books as well.
Is it all right for me to post it on my website blog?
Sure, and please remember to mention Chaim as the Author and/or our website at the source.
Loved this Testimony Dr Chaim! Love you dearly!
Thank you Chaim for sharing your heart. We have many common experiences over our 70+ years and I’ve laughed and wept with you as I read your word studies. I have a Catholic heritage. As a family, we would gather on our knees in the living room every night before bed; all eight kids, dad, mom, and often a visitor nun or priest, and say the rosary together. Often I admit, it was rote prayer and I didn’t get a lot out of it. One night I came upstairs and caught my dad on his knees saying another rosary. I knew it was for me. His heart was like yours. He could always see Jesus in everyone and enjoyed them to the max. You are an incredible blessing. You encourage me to snuggle close to the heart of משיח.
Thank you, Rabbi. Have been praying for your good health. Your Word today made me smile. God bless you, Rabbi.
Wow and thank you Chaim! For helping us to remember that the people that God brings into our life for a reason and not by accident. We are called to be salt and light, to refresh people, to bring flavor and a preserving reminder of the Love the Father through the Messiah for all mankind. Even the Ralph’s of this world with their broken English. Thank you for showing us how this can work in every day life. You’ve been a blessing in my life and a great source of encouragement, toda (thank you)!
May The LORD continue to bless you; protect you, and make His Face shine upon you. May the Shalom of The LORD strengthen you in all your endeavors.